Kaitlyn Barton POV:
I finished sending the message to Everett. A strange mix of relief and nervous anticipation settled within me. Before I could process the gravity of my decision, the lounge door creaked open again. Edwin, his face still a thundercloud of irritation and resentment, walked back in. He had returned, clearly, not to apologize, but to deliver a message from his family.
"There's a family dinner next week," he announced, his voice clipped, devoid of all warmth. "The Browns and the Bartons are expected to be there. Tell your parents. Everyone needs to attend." He spoke with an air of authority, as if he still held any sway over my life or my family' s schedule.
I met his gaze, my lips twisting into a small, defiant smile. I spread my hands, a gesture of absolute refusal. "I can't make it, Edwin," I stated, my voice calm, unwavering. "I'll be busy."
Edwin's expression shifted dramatically. His face contorted, morphing from annoyance to shock, then to a simmering fury. He clearly believed I was intentionally defying him, deliberately trying to provoke him, or worse, to hurt Kacy. He took a step towards me, his jaw tightening.
Before he could launch into another accusation, I cut him off, my voice loud enough to carry across the hushed room. "In fact," I continued, holding his gaze, "I need to make an announcement. I'm getting married."
The words hung in the air, echoing in the sudden, complete silence of the lounge. Every single person in the room froze. Their eyes widened, their mouths fell open. The shock was palpable.
I met Edwin's stunned gaze, holding it. "I' ll be quite occupied with wedding preparations," I added, emphasizing the word. "So, I unfortunately won't be able to attend your family dinner."
The room remained in a deathly quiet. Then, Edwin moved. He lunged forward, his hand shooting out, seizing my wrist in a crushing grip. His knuckles were white with suppressed rage, his eyes blazing with a mixture of disbelief and utter betrayal.
"Married?" he spat, his voice hoarse, disbelieving. "To whom? What kind of twisted game are you playing, Kaitlyn? Are you trying to hurt Kacy? Is this some sick tactic to get back at me? You're being vicious. This is a new low, even for you." His accusations rained down on me, sharp and bitter.
The force of his grip was shocking. His fingers, usually so gentle, dug into my flesh, alarmingly tight. I felt the tremor in his fingertips, a clear sign of the sheer, uncontrolled anger that coursed through him. Vicious. The word, cold and sharp as an ice pick, pierced through my carefully constructed composure, sinking deep into my bones.
I stared at his face, a face I had known intimately since childhood, now contorted into a mask of rage and disgust. It was familiar, yet utterly alien. He accused me of being vicious, manipulative, all for a woman he had known for a mere fraction of our shared lifetime. It felt utterly, tragically laughable.
I remembered Edwin, years ago, when he would spend hours searching for my favorite rare candies, running across town to every specialty store just to see me smile. I remembered the time I impulsively brought home a small, fluffy puppy, only to realize I was allergic. Edwin, seeing my distress, quietly found a loving new home for it, without a word of complaint, just to spare me any discomfort. He had done everything, anything, to make me happy. And now, he looked at me with the eyes of an enemy, all because he imagined I might upset his new, fragile girlfriend. This profound shift, this utter betrayal of our past, chilled me to the core.
My voice, when it came, was cold, sharp, and laced with the ice that had formed in my heart. "Let go of me, Edwin."
